Learn Something New...
BKB & Company, one of many retail outlets on the UW Tacoma campus, has the only Art-o-Mat machine in the state. For $5 you can own a piece of original art.
BKB & Company, one of many retail outlets on the UW Tacoma campus, has the only Art-o-Mat machine in the state. For $5 you can own a piece of original art.
"You go to school because you want something to change, even if that’s just you."
"Change the space you occupy," Joy Eckwood challenged the packed Tacoma Dome in her 2006 Commencement speech. Her advice still ringing in her ears, she is living out her challenge. Eckwood believes it is the responsibility of individuals to bring about change to make the world a better place. Working with homeless and street youth in Seattle, she’s not afraid to do just that.
"I've always had a heart and passion for kids, so I knew that whatever I did would be connected to making life better for kids," Eckwood says.
With six children of her own, ranging in age from 8 to 21, Eckwood sought to inspire them through her speech and set an example as she walked across the commencement stage. Her message was clear: You can reach your dreams and help others in return.
In May 2007, Eckwood began working with New Horizons Ministries supervising coordinators who run five of the agency’s seven programs. Her responsibilities include relationship building as well as ensuring that programs are grounded and that policies make sense.
The program coordinators under Eckwood's supervision oversee hospitality, which provides food for events and outreach aimed at youth and women involved in prostitution; self care, which provides clothing and hygiene items; as well as volunteer recruitment. Program coordinators also oversee life discovery, which Eckwood describes as a chance for youth to see a life beyond drugs and alcohol. In this program, youth have the chance to explore creative arts, hike, raft and get involved in groups for boys and girls. Finally, the transitions program helps move youth into housing and employment.
New Horizons also includes a drop-in center that supplies youth and young adults with food, clothing, a place to shower and the opportunity to meet with case managers.
Community service has always been important to Eckwood. She has worked with Vision Youth, a World Vision program that mentors at-risk young adults. After serving in the Army for seven years, Eckwood graduated from Tacoma Community College in 2004. Before continuing her education, she took a year off to work with the YWCA and taught classes on dating violence, sexuality and self-esteem in a juvenile detention center.
"I was able to watch girls begin to understand that they're important regardless of what their circumstance is, that there is a self worth and a value that belongs to them inherently and that they have to take ownership of that."
Currently, although Eckwood does not work directly with youth as much as those she supervises, she hears inspiring stories about the impact the program is having on young people.
"We’ve been a consistent presence in Seattle, so kids know us. They know that when they come through the door they are not going to be judged," she says.
Even in cases when the authorities have to be called to prevent youth from harming themselves, workers let the youths know that they want to continue to be in a relationship with them, no matter what.
"Kids have come back, and they’ve said, 'I know you did what you felt you needed to do because you care about me.'"
Eckwood, who maintains contact with some of her professors, says UWT prepared her well for the challenges of her career. She appreciates maintaining a connection to the school that gave her the tools to get where she is today, adding, "UWT had an incredible impact on my life."
"The Urban Studies program was truly significant for me," she says.
Especially significant were the open and challenging classroom discussions about what oppression looks like. She says that her professors were not afraid to talk about uncomfortable subjects or to be challenged, yet they were careful to provide a safe place for debate and growth.
Eckwood initiated further discussions on race and gender by creating a race study circle on campus. She also prided herself on diffusing tensions within the student government as an ASUWT senator, and she enjoyed engaging in challenging conversations with the group while providing a respectful environment that allowed them to work together and achieve their goals.
Eckwood says her classes also led her to undergo a paradigm shift about policy making.
"I actually thought I was going to work for the government or run for public office, which is why I focused on public administration. I don’t know if that still will happen because now I don’t think I have to run for office in order to effect policy."
Eckwood is applying the theories she learned in class, and she wants to make an even greater impact on the lives of children.
"I want to have authority to determine federal policy that affects kids across the board," she says.
To reach her goals, Eckwood is continuing her education as a Master’s of Public Administration student at Seattle University. She plans to graduate in June 2008.
In addition to school, work and family, Eckwood serves as board chair in the faith-based Sound Youth Counseling in Tacoma and is a basketball coach through Metro Parks with her husband. She teaches quarterly workshops on holistic healing for women and finds time for self-care by writing and taking long, relaxing walks. Through her life choices, Eckwood is showing us how to change the space we occupy.
If UW Tacoma fits your academic goals and life situation, take the next step. Check out the degrees open to you and then visit the campus for a true UW Tacoma experience.
